


Death's Hand

by elliseleven



Category: NoStranger (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Murder, NoStranger Spoilers, Spoilers, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide, auditory hallucinations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:40:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26411272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elliseleven/pseuds/elliseleven
Summary: There was only one way for Adam to bring Pepper back to him: getting rid of the people who had split them apart. He has the perfect plan, but everything has consequences.
Relationships: Adam Verdu & Noel Saviore, Adam Verdu & Tim June, Adam Verdu/Pepper June, Pepper June & Tim June





	1. Tim June

Searching the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s website for tickets made the whole experience even more real for Adam. He was really going through with this. He watched his laptop screen in excitement as the next screen loaded.

That feeling quickly turned to disappointment as a message on the screen told him that there were no tickets left. He groaned and decided he should update his helper on this. It seemed they were going to have to come up with another way to get in. Maybe his new friend could help.

Thankfully, they were fine with him sneaking into the building. He was happy about that. But even if they weren’t, he knew he could’ve convinced them.   
Once he had grabbed everything he would need for this meeting, he left the house, hopped into his car and made his way to BAM. He wasn’t sure how he would get in, but he would figure that out when he got there. He had always been good at thinking on the spot.

Once he arrived, he could easily see three ways to enter the building: an open stage door with (surprisingly) no one guarding it, a staircase to the side of the building, and a back alley behind. Adam ran these options through his head and realized that the stage door would be the best bet. The other two options seemed too tedious, and he was always up for a little risk.

His helper agreed with him (of course, they did), and he ducked through the doorway and into an empty corridor. Adam quickly made his way down to what he hoped would be the entrance to the main building. 

He passed a few people on his way, but he smiled confidently to them as if he was supposed to be there. There was a slight anxiety that someone would ask him something, but it seemed they were all too busy doing their own thing to care. Adam liked that. He was always the type of person to blend into the background.

Once he was in, he took his phone from his pocket and texted his helper to update them. He scanned the room as he waited for a reply. 

There were a lot of hipsters and indie artists, which he should’ve expected, but they went as far as the eye could see. He suddenly felt out of place in his hoodie and jeans.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that someone was making a beeline for him. He smiled as politely as he could, suppressing an eye roll. Apparently, he didn’t blend in as much as he had hoped.

_ Someone is coming up to me. _

After quickly sending the message, he put his phone back into his pocket and nodded to the man who was now in front of him.

“Hey. What’s up?”

“Hey, man. You new here? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

Adam shrugged. “Something like that, yeah. Nice to meet you… Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Tom.” He stuck his hand out, and Adam gave it a firm shake. 

“I’m Adam.”

Tom nodded in response. “So, uh, have you ever played Pacman?”

Adam had been trying to read Tom to see what his deal was, and - if necessary - how to get out of the conversation. But he hadn’t expected this question. “Um… Yes, I’ve played it, in fact, but I wouldn’t say I’m an avid player or anything.”

Tom looked disappointed, to Adam’s confusion. “That’s alright. I’m, like, a  _ huge  _ fan, but only a few people care about it like I do. I’ve been asking around, you see, and not many people seemed to be interested in talking to me.”

“I wonder why,” Adam muttered under his breath.

Tom either didn’t hear Adam or ignored the comment. “I just think the implications of that are so interesting. Like, you wouldn’t think it, but Pacman is actually very reminiscent to real life.”

This caught Adam off guard. Could a video game really mean that much to someone? He was genuinely curious to know more about why Tom thought this, which was a surprise. “How so?”

Tom seemed only too happy to explain. His eyes lit up. “Right, so you’ve got Pacman; a giant yellow monster. And then you’ve got all these colored ghosts that are being chased by the monster. And you have to eat all the coins along the way. It’s optional, but most people like to collect them. I think it’s reminiscent of how our world works today with how the government treats us and how money is apparently oh-so important. Don’t you think?”

“Uh huh.” Frankly, Adam had zoned out almost as soon as Tom had started speaking. He quickly found that he wasn’t as interested in the conversation as he thought he would be. He was just impatient to find Tim. “I totally agree.”

“That’s great! Barely anyone gets me when I talk about this, y’know?”

“Yep.” 

He needed a way to get out of this, stat. Any more time talking to Tom, and he might actually die from boredom. Pretending his phone was on vibrate, he jumped a little and looked down to his pocket. He pulled out his phone and checked his screen, imitating a look someone would usually give if someone important to them was calling. That was a hard look to replicate since he didn’t have many of those.

“Sorry, man. My girlfriend’s calling. I have to take this.”

“Oh, right on, man. I’ll talk to you later, yeah?”

“Sure,”  _ Not likely _ , he thought, “See ya around.”

“Yeah. It was great talking to you.”

Tom walked away with a wave. Adam returned it as he pretended to accept a call and talk to an imaginary person. As soon as Tom was out of range, Adam lowered his phone from his face and let out a long sigh. God, that was painful. He made sure to update his friend on what he saw in the room, and asked if they could find Tim for him. He could easily see the man for himself, but he wanted them to think they were helping.

With a location in place, Adam grinned. This was all coming together. That was good.

_ DMLM. I’ll take it from here. _

_ Good to hear. But what does DMLM mean? _

Adam chuckled as he responded. He loved toying with people like this.  _ If I told you, I’d have to kill you.  _ He included a winking emoji for good measure.

Apparently, they had no response to that. Adam didn’t mind. It was all up to him now, anyway. He texted to say he would be in contact soon, and turned off his phone.

Adam stood in a corner, observing Tim and his mom. Tim was drinking a beer and chatting with her. It seemed like they got along well. Adam smiled. He was happy about that. He’d never got along with his own mother, so he was happy to see Tim and ‘Momma June’ so close. It was a shame he’d have to ruin that soon.

Time passed slowly as he watched them. Tim had glanced his way a few times, but Adam was sure to glance away each time, but just a little too late so Tim would know he was being watched. Adam noticed that Tim began to act differently once he’d worked out that Adam was watching him. He was leaning on the bar casually, but Adam could tell he looked slightly uncomfortable. It was interesting to see.

Eventually, Tim’s mom excused herself to the restroom, like Adam hoped she would. Adam watched her walk away, his heart beating faster. The adrenaline was kicking in, it seemed. He’d never done something like this before, so he was anxious to get this right. There was also a time limit. He knew he had to take Tim away before she came back, otherwise she might suspect him in what was about to happen. But something in him knew that it would go well. Besides, he didn’t have a choice. He had to do this.

He cleared his throat, rolled up his sleeves, and made his way over to the bar. He walked around the back of Tim to stand on the other side. This way, he was closer to the exit where he planned to take Tim. This would be better carried out away from prying eyes, after all.

“Anything for you, pal?” The bartender asked. 

“No, thanks. I’m good,” Adam replied with a smile.

Tim hadn’t noticed Adam walking towards him as he had been using his phone. He jumped slightly at the noise then turned towards the unfamiliar voice.   
They both smiled at each other. Adam mentally prepared himself. This was it. No turning back.

“Mr. June, is it?” Adam asked, trying to keep his cool.

“Yes.” Tim seemed surprised that this kid knew his name, despite seeing him in the corner, staring at him. “May I ask how you know me?”

Adam put on a bigger smile. “Oh, I’m actually a follower of your blog. I’m a big fan.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize I was so famous!” Tim grinned. That explained the staring anyhow. “I’m glad you’re a fan of my blog. Are you here for an autograph?”

“Not quite,” he smiled, “I wanted to ask permission to write about you in a novel I’m working on. I’m writing about the interconnectedness of people, you see.”

“That sounds… interesting.” Tim managed a smile. “My daughter took psychology in high school, but she wasn’t so into it. It’s a shame, if you ask me, but she’s doing what she loves now, so that’s all that matters.”

Adam nodded, trying not to react to the mention of Pepper. He already knew all of this information about her, but he knew he couldn’t let that slip. Tim would definitely not let Adam talk to him if he knew who he really was. It was a miracle that they’d even got this far. It seemed that Pepper hadn’t showed Tim a photo of Adam before. Adam made a mental note to thank her for that.

“Yes, of course. I’m a big believer of doing what you love, no matter what.”

“I agree.”

Adam picked the conversation up again quickly. He didn’t want Tim asking any questions about him. “So if you could, I’d like to interview you about my book. I’m very interested in what you do as a blogger and engineer.”

Tim seemed happy with that, making Adam grin. “Oh, of course! It won’t take long, will it? It’s just that my mom went to the restroom, and it’s not very polite to leave her on her own.”

“Don’t worry. It won’t take long,” Adam lied. He planned on dragging this conversation out as much as he could.

“Alright,” Tim nodded. “I’ll send her a text, just so she knows where I am.”

Adam watched intently as Tim typed out his message and sent it. He couldn’t see what he’d written, but he could take a pretty good guess of what the message said. Tim seemed happy with it, at least. Adam was glad about that since it would be the last time he would ever speak with her.

“Alright, shall we get going then?” he asked, eager to move this along.

“Lead the way, young man.”

Adam lead Tim out of the regular exit, explaining that it might be better to go somewhere quieter. 

Tim was a little unsettled when they came out onto the sidewalk. He assumed that this man - whoever he was - would have booked a room in the building or done  _ something  _ to make him look a bit more credible. Instead, they were walking to his car? Tim definitely had some questions.

“What’s your name, son? Didn’t quite catch it before.”

“Oh.” His mind flashed back to that brief meeting with the Pacman guy. What was his name again? “I’m Tom. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I got a bit carried away, I suppose, being such a fan and all.”

“Yeah, so you keep saying,” Tim sighed. He was beginning to doubt Tom and his whole story. “So, where are we going?”

“I thought it might be nice to talk in my car. There will be no prying eyes then. As long as you’re comfortable with that, sir.”

Tim raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that? If you don’t want anyone overhearing, I’m sure not many people are out this time of night. Or if you want to sit down, we can just go back inside. I’m sure there’s a room we can go in.”

Adam knew all this already, but he couldn’t risk anyone seeing him. A witness to Tim’s untimely demise would ruin his plan. He had to keep this private.

“I really don’t think that’s necessary.” Adam tried to keep his voice level, but it was proving difficult. “My car is comfortable, I can assure you, and we could still be overheard outside. Look, there’s a couple walking on the other side of the road.”

Adam pointed, and Tim nodded as he saw the passers by. Even with his theory proven, Tim still couldn’t understand why Adam was so persistent about getting in his car. Doubts were beginning to fester. Was this man really who he said he was? Tom was a pretty common name. He could’ve easily thought of that on the fly. Was he really a fan of his? He had a few followers, of course, but he’d never been noticed in public before.

Adam could tell Tim was doubting him, so he tried turning on the charm. “Sir, as I said before, I’m a  _ huge  _ fan of your work. I understand if you may not be comfortable with this, but it would mean so much to me if I could just have a few minutes of your time tonight.”

“Mhm.” Tim wasn’t buying it. “I’m having a hard time believing what you say anymore.”

“Sir-”

Tim quickly cut Adam off. “I don’t need your flattery, boy. Why are we really here? Is Tom even your real name?”

It was so early on, and Adam was already in danger of being caught. He couldn’t fail when he’d only just gotten started. He had to win back the man’s trust. “I’m sorry. I lied. My name isn’t Tom.”

Tim let out an exasperated sigh. “Well, what is it then?”

“It’s Scott.”

Tim looked him up and down, and nodded. It seemed to him that Adam was telling the truth this time. “You look like a Scott, I’ll give you that. Anyway, are you really a fan? Your name, I can believe, but this,” he gestured to the car and sighed again, “not so much.”

Adam grit his teeth to stop him from saying something he might regret. He wasn’t sure why Tim wasn’t going along with it. Was he losing his touch? Regardless, he had to say something.

“Do you want proof?” He cocked an eyebrow, not able to hide his irritation anymore.

Tim bit back a laugh at how comical Adam looked. “Shoot.”

“Your latest blog post was titled ‘The World Turns’ and it was about your daughter, Pepper June. I believe it was about how fast she was growing up.”

Tim smirked. “Anyone could find that if they looked hard enough.”

Adam suppressed an eye roll. He knew that he was running out of chances. Tim had grown suspicious of him, and that wouldn’t do. He had to move this along. They couldn’t stand outside like this forever, especially if they began to argue. People would overhear.

He made sure to check over Tim’s shoulder for any possible witnesses. Tim’s eyes were focussed on him, which showed that there was no one outside his peripheral vision.   
There was still a small amount of risk that someone would see him, but what was life without a little risk?   
He threw a punch to Tim’s jaw, and he collapsed to the floor. Adam allowed himself a metaphorical pat on the back, then he wasted no time in hauling Tim’s unconscious body into the passenger seat.

He hoped that to anyone driving by him, they would assume Tim was asleep, depending on how long he was out.

Once they were both buckled in, Adam now had to figure out where to go from here. He wasn’t so sure where, but he knew it had to be far away.

A place suddenly popped into his head. Hillsdale was where Pepper said she used to live with her dad. Assuming Tim still lived there, it was worth a shot driving all the way there. She used to talk about the countryside too, and how pretty it was.  _ A good place to bury a body too,  _ Adam thought with a chuckle.   
Tim woke up as soon as Adam started to drive. Adam could see him in his peripheral vision trying to work out where he was and how he got there. Tim was a smart man, so he figured it out pretty quickly.

“You knocked me out, didn’t you?” His voice was wavering slightly.   
Adam smirked. “I did.”

“Why?”

“You’ll see.”

The ominous reply and the speed at Adam was driving made Tim very anxious, but he decided not to speak up on that. It was clear that he wasn’t the ‘big fan’ he had claimed to be.

“What are you going to do to me?”

Adam rolled his eyes. Was he really going to be asking questions all the way to Hillsdale? “I said  _ you’ll see.  _ Now, please be quiet or I’ll be forced to do something I’ll regret.”

Tim gulped. He assumed that Adam meant he would crash the car. From his reckless driving, Tim quickly gathered that Adam didn’t care so much about either of their lives. It was scary, to say the least.

This was by far the longest drive that Tim had ever been on. He’d been on far longer drives before, but  _ this  _ drive seemed to last forever. Not knowing what was going to happen to him made it all the worse.

The longer they drove, the more anxious Tim became. What if he never made it back to New York? He was beginning to suspect that Scott wasn’t the fan he claimed to be. Getting into a stranger’s car was something he taught Pepper never to do, and yet here he was doing that exact thing.

He suppressed a laugh. He felt like such a hypocrite. Speaking of Pepper, when was the last time he spoke to her? His mind flashed back to earlier that evening to their phone call.

“Have a great time, Dad! I know it’s been ages since you and Grandma got to hang out.”

“I know,” Tim had chuckled. “It’ll be great to catch up again. I’ll speak to you in the morning, okay?”

“Yep. Speak to you soon.”

“Bye. Love you, Pep.”

“Love you too.”

Tim smiled. If anything, that was a good conversation to leave things on, if things turned to the worst.

A thought struck him. It didn’t have to end here. He could call the cops! Why didn’t he think of that earlier?

He cursed inwardly to himself as he took his phone conspicuously out of his pocket. He thought he was being sneaky enough, but nothing got past Adam.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Adam shot a sideways glance at Tim.

“Nothin’,” Tim said automatically. He knew Adam wouldn’t buy it, but he thought he’d give it a shot.

Adam scoffed. “You were gonna call the police, weren’t you?”

“Maybe.”

Adam glanced across to him again and smirked. “Well, we can’t have that, can we? You’d better dispose of that phone of yours.”

Tim started. “E-excuse me?!”

“You heard me. Throw it away.”

“But if I just don’t use it then there’s no need!” He felt like a schoolboy being caught on his phone in the middle of class. It was kind of humiliating.

“I don’t want to argue with you,” Adam sighed, running a hand down his face. “I don’t want to make this any harder than it should be.”

Tim rolled his eyes. As if any of this was his fault! But he conceded. He didn’t want to rub the guy the wrong way, having experienced what he was capable of. 

“Fine. Whatever,” he mumbled.

He rolled down the window and let gravity do the work. He didn’t hear or see it smash to pieces, but Tim still winced as he let it go. It seemed like he wouldn’t get to call Pepper again either way.

“You  _ happy  _ now?” Tim shot a glare to Adam, but it soon disappeared when he saw Adam’s devilish smile.

“Yes, very. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Tim didn’t know how to respond to that. The way Adam was acting made him uncomfortable, but he couldn’t put his finger on why.

The rest of the car ride was in silence. Adam had slowed down now to the speed limit - since he knew that there were cameras around here - which was at least a comfort to Tim. Neither of them spoke, of course. What would they even talk about? Tim quickly realized he had no idea what was true about Adam and what was a lie. It scared him.

Adam grinned as, finally, they arrived in Hillsdale. He wasn’t so sure where he would pull up, but Hillsdale had plenty of forest and countryside for him to take advantage of. Eventually, he found a promising spot and parked at the side of the road. They really were in the middle of nowhere.

“Have you come to drop me home? How kind of you,” Tim quipped after Adam ordered him out of the car with a cold stare.

“Do I look like that kinda guy?” Adam returned. “I just wanted somewhere quiet to talk to you.”

“And what makes you think I’ll go with you?”

“Oh, I know you will,” Adam gave the same demonic smile, “whether you want to or not. Plus, where would you go? I doubt you know where you are, and you don’t have a phone anymore to tell you. I assure you you’ll get lost within minutes.”

Tim sighed. He did have a point. Despite this being his hometown, the countryside all easily blurred into one. He had no idea where he was so it wasn’t like he could walk home.

“That’s true. I guess I don’t have a choice then.”

Adam smiled as he took something out of his pocket. It was a pair of leather gloves. Something about the way he put them on made Tim’s blood run cold. Why would he need those?

Adam either didn’t notice Tim’s reaction or simply ignored it. He smiled towards Tim and beckoned him over to his side of the car. “Come on then. Into the forest we go.”

“Alright, we’ll have it your way, Scott.”

“Of course we will.” 

As they walked into the forest, Tim began to doubt that this was really the interview that Adam had promised. As it became darker with trees shielding the sun, Tim’s thoughts also turned darker. Maybe Adam would kill him here. It would explain the gloves, and the lump in his pocket that Tim could only assume was a gun. 

Maybe this was where Tim would die. This seemed like a good place for it if there ever was one. He tried not to think about it.

“So I guess you’re wondering why I brought you here.” Adam clapped his hands with a smirk as they made it to a clearing. He’d always wanted to say that.

“Let me guess, you’ve wanted to say that for the whole drive here?” 

Adam glared at him, but it faded when he realized Tim was right.

“Um, maybe,” he mumbled, but he quickly recomposed himself. “Anyway! That’s beside the point. Don’t you want to know why I brought you all the way out here?”

“I thought you said it was about your interview with me.”

Adam shook his head. “I’m afraid I lied to you again. My apologies.”

Tim rolled his eyes. “What a surprise. So is there anything you’d like to tell me while we’re here?”

He readied himself. It was time to tell him the whole truth. “My name isn’t Scott.”

Tim gave a bark of laughter. The guy’s name was the least of his worries, but he decided to play along. He was curious anyway. “Are you going to tell me your  _ real  _ name this time or just make up another one?”

“I promise, sir, that I’ll tell you my real name.”

“Alright then. What is it?”

“... Adam.”

Tim furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Am I supposed to know who you are just from that? I know a few Adams.”

“It’s Adam Verdu, sir.”

At that, Tim’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding! You’re that scumbag who’s dating my daughter!”

Adam snorted with laughter. Tim’s reaction took him off guard. “I wouldn’t call myself that, but yes, I am.”

“Oh, Jesus, I should’ve known! Why did I ever get in the car with you?!”

“Well, technically, I put you there, remember?”

“Oh,” Tim's’ face fell, “yeah. I guess you did.”

“Let’s get back on topic,” Adam said, beginning to pace. “You’re here because you’ve been manipulating your daughter into breaking up with me. You and her little friend have torn us apart!”

Tim noted that Adam was starting to lose his composure, which wasn’t good news for him. He tried not to show any fear. It proved difficult. “I don’t remember doing anything of the sort.”

“You told her she deserved better, and that I was a  _ freak!” _

Tim had no idea how Adam could’ve found out about what he’d said, but his priority was calming Adam down. Maybe he could talk some sense into him. “Adam-”

“Shut up! Don’t you dare talk to me!”

Before Tim could stop him, Adam had pulled the gun out of his pocket and was aiming it at him. Adam’s hands were shaking, but Tim knew that he would still make a good shot. It scared him how fast he’d pulled the gun on him, and how little he’d thought about it.

Tim stopped in his tracks and held up his arms. He’d suddenly lost all ability to speak. 

“I can’t let you live, Tim. Not after what you did to us.” Adam’s voice was shaking, and he sounded like he could break down at any minute. A small part of Tim almost felt sorry for him.

“Adam. Please, just calm down and think for a second, okay? You-”

“Didn’t you hear me?! I said  _ shut up!  _ The two of us were  _ happy  _ until  _ you  _ stuck your nose in where it doesn’t belong!”

“W-what do you mean?” Tim felt pathetic with his voice shaking like it was, but he had to remind himself that Adam could pull the trigger at any minute.

“Are you stupid?! You made her break up with me!”

“What the hell does that mean?! I didn’t do anything!” Tim’s voice was beginning to come back to him along with the anger bubbling in his chest. How dare he be accused of controlling his daughter!

“You and her stupid friend told her I wasn’t good enough!”

“What, Noel? What does she have to do with this?” Tim knew exactly what Noel had to do with this, but no way was he ratting her out to Adam.

This wasn’t needed, however. Adam already knew all the details. “She has everything to do with this! That’s the reason I started this fucking project! To get rid of both of you!”

The truth was out there now, and there was no taking it back. Adam didn’t care though. He’d stopped caring ever since he pulled out the gun. He just wanted Tim  _ gone. _

Tim had his suspicions that Adam had brought him to Hillsdale to murder him, but realizing Noel was involved in this too was news to him. “You’re going to kill Noel too?!” He paled. He couldn’t believe his ears.

“Obviously! I want you both gone by my hands, so I can finally have some control over my life!”

Tim didn’t know what Adam meant by that, but it probably wasn’t a good idea to ask for details. This wasn’t the time.

Tim had no response to that, and Adam scoffed. He’d finally run out of things to say, huh? “Well,” Adam’s voice shook even more than before, “If you have nothing more to say, then I guess I have no need for you anymore. Say goodbye, Tim June.”

“No! Wait!”

Adam’s eyebrows furrowed. “What?” He spat.

“I… There’s a better way to do this! Do you really think Pepper will take you back when she finds out you’ve murdered her dad and best friend?”

That was the question that finally tipped him over the edge. “You have no idea what you’re talking about!”

Adam pulled the trigger, and the shot rang out through the air. Tim was shot right through the forehead and collapsed onto the floor, dead.

He stood, frozen, for what felt like eternity. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. He had planned to strangle Tim with the scarf he wore around his neck. He’d worn it specifically for that purpose. There was supposed to be no noise and no blood. But his emotions got in the way, as they always do. They ruined everything.

What if someone heard?! And now, there was evidence to who killed him. The markings on the bullet lodged in Tim’s skull would match to Adam’s gun. 

He snapped himself out of his thoughts. He had to move the body  _ now. _

He dragged the body further into the woods where he found two rock formations.

“Maybe here would work.” He laughed as he realized he was talking to himself.

If he dug a grave here, no one would know. He would make sure the ground was solid, of course, but even so, the rocks would mean no one walked there. It seemed perfect to him.

“Fuck. I need my shovel.”

He didn’t want a passerby to see the body. That would ruin his plans. He doubted anyone was around, especially since no one came running at the sound of the gunshot, but he still decided to hide it. It took a while, but he covered Tim’s body with some of the rocks he’d found. 

He began to jog back to his car when he noticed something in the clearing. There was blood on the ground around where Tim had been shot.

He put his head in his hands and let out a groan. This is exactly what he didn’t want to happen! The blood would be a dead giveaway. Why did he have to let his emotions get the best of him?

He uselessly tried to move the loose dirt with his shoe, but it did nothing. He kicked the ground angrily then quickly figured out a solution.

He laughed out loud, realizing how stupid he had been to get worked up over this. He could just dig up the patches with blood in them. Animals must live in these woods and dig up holes all the time. Why would one Adam dug himself look any different?

Spurred on by that idea, he ran back to his bar to get his shovel.

It took next to no time to disturb the ground there and clear up the blood, then he quickly moved on to digging Tim’s grave.

He moved the rest of the stones aside, trying to memorize how they once looked, and then he began to dig.

It was hard work, but it seemed he still had the energy. The adrenaline he had felt before was still there. 

He couldn’t believe he’d lost his composure so easily. Using the gun was supposed to be a last resort. He couldn’t make the same mistake with Noel.

He stopped in his tracks. What about the bullet lodged in Tim’s skull? Would they be able to trace the markings back to his gun?

He began to panic. What if he’d ruined everything so soon? His breathing became erratic, and he had to kneel down, holding onto the shovel for support.

Thankfully, the logical side of his brain quickly came to save him. Adam rolled his eyes. Where was that part of him when he was about to kill Tim? Regardless, he realized that if he buried Tim properly, it would take a long time for police to find his body and even longer to trace the bullet. By then, he will have finished his plan, and hopefully it will have been a success.

Nothing to worry about!

With that thought in mind, Adam began to dig again, his breathing back to normal.

As he lowered Tim’s body into the hole, he realized that he felt calm. As if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He was one step closer to getting Pepper back, and that was all that mattered.

Adam removed and pocketed his gloves then admired his handiwork. No one would take a second glance at the formation since it was here way before Adam moved it. He doubted anyone would think at all to move the rocks like he did. 

It was the perfect spot.

“Death makes life matter.” He figured it was better to say it now. Better late than never, as they say. The plan was to say it just as he was about to kill Tim, but his emotions got too overwhelming. He couldn’t bear listening to Tim for a second more, so he had to end it.

He decided it was time to leave. Everything had gone as smoothly as it could’ve, and there was no point dwelling on what could’ve been. His work here was done. That was all he could do for now.

Adam ran a hand through his hair, and turned away from the grave. The only direction now was forward. He started his journey back through the forest, revelling in the silence. As he came out into the field, he pulled out his phone. He reread the texts he had sent to his helper a few hours ago. Had it really only been three hours? It felt like it had been much longer. He smiled as he recalled how much help his new friend had been. He would make sure to thank them when he made it back to Brooklyn.

After a long drive of mostly silence, Adam made it back to his apartment. He collapsed onto his bed, suddenly feeling exhausted. It was a good feeling though, like he’d done something productive. He was halfway through his plan already, and he felt good about that. Only one more to go.

He took out his phone to contact his friend. He wanted them to know how grateful he was that they had helped him.

_ He was delightful. Really a kind, matter of fact gentleman. Perfect addition, and I couldn’t have found him without you! _

Adam had planned to lie about Tim no matter how he acted towards him, but he found he didn’t need to. Apart from a couple of instances, Tim remained a kind and gentlemanly person, even when Adam was about to shoot him. He could see that, in hindsight, he was trying to get Adam to come around. Adam almost felt sorry for the man. His attempts were useless, and always would be. No one could talk him out of this. It was too late.

He wanted to take his mind off that for a while, though. There was no point in thinking back on his past actions. They had already been carried out, and he couldn’t change them. He’d been working on a riddle for the past few days, so he decided to share it with his helper. They solved it quickly, to his surprise. He was quite impressed.

Shortly after, he signed off for the night once he found himself dozing off more than a few times. Usually, it would take him hours to fall asleep, but it seemed to be different tonight. It was unclear what the reason was, but he was thankful. He didn’t particularly want to be kept away by his thoughts tonight. He knew he would need all his energy for what he planned to do tomorrow.

The second half of his plan was underway.


	2. Noel Saviore

The plane touched down in Las Vegas, and before he knew it, Adam had booked himself into a motel for the night.

It felt even more real now that he was here. He grinned to himself. Tomorrow was going to be fun.

Despite wanting to sleep to make tomorrow come as quickly as possible, he made sure to make some time for his friend. They had talked a lot over the past couple of days, and he enjoyed their company. They made him feel not so alone.

_It’s been a grim September, and you’ve been my light through it._

This was truer than he could ever explain to them.

He offered another riddle to his friend, and they once again accepted. He liked that they had this in common. Riddles calmed him in a sense. It was comforting to know that he could control every aspect of the problem, not like real life where he felt like the one being controlled. Sometimes, he didn’t even believe he had autonomy over his decisions. It scared him.

Witnessing his friend solve the riddle helped distract him, but once he’d said goodnight, he was alone again.

He was used to the voices in his head commenting on his everyday life by now, but when he wasn’t busy doing something, it was harder to ignore them.

It may be from the stressful day he had, but the thoughts now were more… violent. Nothing he hadn’t heard before, but they still scared him.

_Kill yourself. You don’t deserve life. She’ll never love you, not after what they did to her._

Adam shook his head violently while covering his ears as if that would silence the voices in his head. He wanted them to stop. He didn’t want to hear it anymore.

“Shut up!”

When they didn’t listen to him, he scrambled to find his earphones and blasted music through them until the voices went away. 

They somehow still got through to him through the music, but they eventually subsided. 

Despite that, it still took a long time for him to calm down enough to get some sleep. He knew he would need all the energy he could get for tomorrow. 

It was going to be a _hell_ of a day.

* * *

The taxi dropped him at the entrance of the Convention Center and, after thanking the driver, Adam got out to observe his surroundings. He had seen pictures of the center online, so he wasn’t phased by the size of the place. The only thing on his mind was finding Noel.

He couldn’t help but note how many protesters were there, and how they were all wearing the same kind of ironic t-shirts. He assumed they were either here for their own thing or protesting against Julio. Adam secretly hoped it was the latter.  
He scanned the area and quickly found Noel entering the building.

Following her in was going to be difficult. Time for his friend to do some sleuthing on his behalf.

He updated them on his situation, and they suggested trying one of the entrances.

The closest one to him was the self check-in station. but he quickly found the place was locked. He groaned after he tried the door. He took out his phone to ask what he should do. Picking the lock had been his first thought, but he would rather not get arrested. Not when he’d come this far.

_There’s a vending machine inside._

Adam raised an eyebrow. How would a vending machine help him?

_Yeah, what about it? What are you thinking?_

_Pretend you’re a mechanic called in to inspect the vending machines in the building._

Adam grinned. He could do that.

_I’ll give it a go. Call me Mechanic Bob._

There was a guard standing nearby who had been watching Adam for a while. Confused, the guard walked over to him.

“Can I help you?”

Adam turned around with a smile. “You can, actually. I was told to inspect the vending machines round here. I’m an engineer, you see.”

“Interesting,” he muttered. “Never knew about an engineer coming here today. Sorry, but I can’t let you in if I don’t know who you are.”

“Right.”

“Hm.” The guard gave him one last look then turned away. He made sure to stay close by, however.

Adam sighed and pulled out his phone once again. He knew what he _wanted_ to do to the guard but, again, it probably wasn’t a good idea to let his emotions get out of control. His friend usually came up with better ideas anyway.

_So, that didn’t work. What should I do now?_

_Have a fit and exclaim that you are the best vending machine engineer there is, and you will not take the disrespect._

Their response caught him off guard. Pretend to be a what now? A vending machine engineer? Adam shrugged. It was nothing he couldn’t pull off, but he was hoping for them to have come up with a less embarrassing idea. Nevertheless, he might as well give it a go. Who knows? It might be fun. It was also a chance to show off his acting skills once again.

He decided that he at least needed to find out who the ‘best vending machine engineer’ was, if that was actually a thing. It turned out that it was a man called James Clark. Now, how was he supposed to channel this guy? He didn’t look anything like him, after all.

Regardless, he watched the video and figured he had nothing left to lose… apart from his dignity.

He took a deep breath. He just had to pull the same anger he’d felt yesterday into this situation here. Shouldn’t be too hard.

“Hey, guard! I want to have a word with you.”

The guard sighed as he saw Adam walking up to him. “What is it now? I said it before, I’m not letting you in there.”

 _This is it,_ Adam thought. _Time to channel my inner James Clark._

“Now, listen here! I don’t think you know who I am!”

The guard grimaced and wiped away the flecks of spit caused by Adam’s yelling. “I think you’re just a kid who can’t take a no.”

Adam put on his best snarl. He held back a smile when he saw the guard flinch. “I am Sir James Clark, _the_ vending machine engineer, and I demand I be let in _right now!”_

The guard’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected that, that was for sure. It took a while for all the yelling to process in his brain, and then he panicked. “I’m so sorry, sir! I didn’t know it was you!”

Adam glared at him. “Why did this place hire someone like you? You can’t see a world-class vending machine engineer when you see one? Jesus, _people_ these days.”

The guard put his hands out in front of him, almost afraid that Adam was going to lash out. His voice shook slightly as he spoke. “My apologies, sir. I didn’t realize you were Sir James Clark. I’ve seen your tutorials online. You look so much younger in person.”

Adam bit back a grin and sighed dramatically to hide it. “ _Yes_ , that’s me. Video is deceiving. I thought you would have realized that by now.”

“Of course.” The guard gave a shaky smile. “My apologies once again. Here, I’ll unlock the door for you.”

Soon enough, the door was open and Adam walked through. He felt on top of the world. He couldn’t believe that had worked! How gullible must that guard be. Once he was far enough out of sight, he erupted into silent laughter. That diva tantrum came out of nowhere, and it had come so naturally to him. He wasn’t sure what to think about that.

There was no time for speculation, however, so he pushed that to the back of his mind.

Once he had calmed down, he told his helper how well it had all worked out, and that he would be in touch. 

He managed to sneak into the event - no way was he going to give Julio any of his money after reading his Tumblr blog - and scouted around to try and find Noel.

After a quick scan, he saw her standing on the opposite side of the room. It looked like she’d brought a friend with her or perhaps it had been the friend’s idea. Either way, the two of them were chatting and laughing while Adam watched on. 

He remembered the fiasco from yesterday and knew he would have to keep his emotions in check today. He didn’t know Noel all too well, but she seemed like the sassy type. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he got even more riled up with her. He would have to be prepared for that in any case.

Finally, the event was due to start. Adam watched Noel and her friend sit in the front row. The two of them were talking in hushed voices, and Noel was wringing her hands in her lap. Adam wondered why she was so nervous. Come to think of it, why was she even at Julio’s show? It was clear she despised him from how she talked to him online.

Trying to seem casual, Adam walked towards the front too and grabbed a seat near the two of them. Of course, it was a few seats down, but he could see well enough from his position.

Adam pulled out his phone to update his helper, noting how the energy in the room had suddenly changed when they had all taken their seats. There had been a lot of people in the room, but Adam didn’t give any of them much of a glance. If they were anything like Julio, he didn’t care enough to.

The atmosphere had suddenly heightened though. Everyone seemed hysterical, waiting for the famous Mr. Felinopious to come on stage. It seemed that he, Noel, and her friend were the only people who didn’t feel the same way. Adam grinned to himself as he wondered how Noel would react if she knew she had something in common with him. Not too well, he wouldn’t think.

Soon enough, Julio came onto the stage to cheering and applause. Adam was shocked to see that no reaction came from the two women near him. He would’ve expected them to boo him in the least. Perhaps they were saving their energy for something bigger. Adam was excited to see what they had planned.

Julio flashed a grin to the audience “Las Vegas, how are all my darlings doing tonight?!”

Amongst the applause and shouts, Noel pretended to retch, and Adam snickered beside her, covering his mouth. He had to admit, she could be funny when she wanted to be.

“I’m so glad you were all able to join me tonight. I assure you I will do my best to entertain you all!”

Adam rolled his eyes. All the guy was doing was saying everything the audience wanted to hear, and Julio knew exactly what he was doing. Adam pushed away the realization that this method of manipulation was _very_ familiar to him.

Julio continued to talk, but Adam’s attention had diverted elsewhere. From where he sat, he had a clear view of Noel and her friend. It seemed they were covering their faces in something. Adam’s eyes widened. Was that… blood?

The two of them stood up, and Julio trailed off mid-sentence when he noticed them.

He stared at the two women as they ran over to the side of the stage and up the steps. Adam grinned as he saw Julio’s dumbstruck face. He had been preaching this whole time, and now he was lost for words.

Adam could see security in the wings, but he was surprised to see that they hadn’t made a move yet. Perhaps they were waiting for something else to happen before they stepped in. However, it became clear that Noel didn’t want Julio anywhere near her. 

The closest she got to him was to rip Julio’s microphone out of his hands. 

“Down with the patriarchy!” She screamed. Her yell was deafening through the speakers. 

She dropped the mic onto the floor immediately afterwards and ran out, her friend close behind. Adam knew he had to follow her. 

He didn’t bother waiting for Julio’s reaction. He honestly didn’t care enough to witness it. Instead, he quickly stood up and walked to the exit. Eager not to cast suspicion on himself, he kept to a regularly paced walk. But as soon as he was out of the events room, he took off running.

He could hear them giggling as they ran. Adam couldn’t help but laugh along with them. The performance had been kind of funny and, he had to admit, impressive. It must have taken a lot of guts for the two of them to do all that, and in front of a packed hall, no less. He would never admit that though as long as he lived.

He wasn’t sure if they could hear him running after them, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was not letting Noel out of his sight.

Eventually though, he lost them.

With his friend’s help, he was able to exit the building efficiently and make it out to the parking lot. From where he stood, he could see them running towards their car. He would’ve bet all the money he had on that pickup truck being Noel’s. It had feminist propaganda all over it.

The way he saw it, he had two choices. He could follow them in another car. He didn’t have his own, of course, so he would have to hot wire one. Admittedly, he had never hot wired any sort of vehicle before so that might take time to do. Alternatively, he could go to the security gate where Noel would have to drive through.

He texted his helper, and they immediately responded and told him to get to the gate.

“Right. Running power it is,” Adam muttered to himself.

He took off running, not wanting to waste any time. Once he reached the security gate, he slowed down, trying to walk as casually as he could. Despite that, he could tell the security guard had her eyes on him. She had probably seen him running from a mile back. It didn’t look like she had much else to look at.

He asked his friend what to do, and they said he should try flirting with the guard. Adam tried to hide his blush as he responded.

_Every woman is not an object._

He laughed as he realized what he’d said. He’d barely spent any time around Noel, and he already started to sound like her. 

_Jeez, I think Noel is rubbing off on me. That said, good idea! What should I say though?_

_Here I am. What were your two other wishes?_

Adam nodded to himself. That seemed easy enough.

_Sounds like a plan! Wish me luck._

He pocketed his phone and readied himself. He didn’t necessarily need Loretta to fall for the pickup line; he just needed to disperse her suspicion of him. No need to get worked up about it...

With that in mind, he walked over as casually as he could towards the security booth. Feeling her eyes on him didn’t do well for his nerves.

He cleared his throat and leaned against the booth with one elbow. She quirked an eyebrow at him as he smirked.

“Can I help you, sir?”

 _Here goes nothing._ “Here I am. What were your two other wishes?”

She frowned. “Excuse me?”

“Oh.” He hoped she would understand. He felt even more embarrassed now, but he tried to ignore the feeling. “It was supposed to be a joke. Don’t you get it?”

She still had a stern expression. Adam wondered how often she had to deal with people like him. “I’m afraid not.”

“Well, you know a genie, right? He gives you three wishes. Your first wish was for me to appear, and I’m asking you what your other two wishes were.”

It took a second for the woman to understand, then she finally laughed. “Oh, that’s adorable! Sorry, it’s been a _long_ day. I’m usually quicker than this.”

Adam didn't much like being called adorable, but he let that slide. “It’s alright. I know it’s cheesy. It was just the first one I came up with.”

“Gotcha. Well, it made me laugh, I’ll give you that.”

“I’m Adam by the way.” He stuck out his hand.

She took it. “Loretta. Nice to meet you.”

Adam opened his mouth to talk more, but he spotted Noel out of the corner of his eye. He couldn’t let her get away. “It was lovely talking to you, but I gotta dash.”

“Oh.” Loretta almost seemed disappointed, but she masked it quickly with a smile. Adam noticed it, of course. “See you, then.”

“See ya.”

He wasn’t sure why Noel was walking away from her truck, but that didn’t matter. He walked over to her, making sure to wave to her. She stopped, noticing him.

“Hey, uh, is there any chance I could hitch a ride? I’m trying to get to Toiyabe National Forest. I'm meeting a friend there.”

Noel raised an eyebrow. "Can't you use your own car?"

Adam shrugged. "I left it back in New York, and I doubt I can get a cab all the way up there."

Noel smirked. "What about your friend?"

Adam was caught between being impressed by how persistent she was, and being annoyed by it. "He has one of those stupid little cars that seat only one person."

“Oh, alright. Yeah, my friend has one of those too.” She smiled at him, figuring she could trust him. "Alright then. Sure, I can take you there. I'll need gas money though, okay?"

Adam grinned. "Sure." Despite knowing she would be dead soon, if it meant she would trust him more, then he'd gladly pay her.

After that little conversation, it seemed that Noel needed to talk to the security guard about something. Adam watched her jog over, ask a question, and then return.

“I just had some trouble with my parking ticket. It’s, like, expired, but she let me off. We kinda know each other by now,” she laughed.

“Interesting,” Adam lied.

As the two of them walked back towards Noel’s car, she realized something. She stopped and stared at Adam, her eyes narrowed.

He stepped back involuntarily. He didn’t like the way she was looking at him. “What?”

“You look familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?”

He gulped. Had Pepper shown her a picture of him? It would make sense since they were best friends. 

He quickly regained his composure, however, and tried to laugh it off. Lying was second nature to him. “I go to these events often. You’ve probably seen me around here.”

Noel seemed suspicious of that, but she decided not to press him any further. She probably wouldn’t be seeing him after this car ride anyway. “Oh, alright. That’s probably it. I’m Noel, by the way. And you are?”

He almost went to say his real name, having just given it to Loretta, but he stopped himself just in time. He reminded himself of the Pacman guy at BAM. That seemed like an age ago. “Tom. Nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

They soon made their way to Noel’s truck, where her friend was waiting. Noel introduced them both then the three hopped into the vehicle. 

Once they were on their way, Adam updated his friend on what had happened.

_I’m currently in the back of the truck now. My adrenaline is pumping._

Realizing how close he was to finishing this was almost too much for him to handle. He knew though that he had to calm himself down. Another incident like yesterday couldn’t happen again. What if he wasn’t as lucky this time around?

He pushed that thought out of his head. It wasn’t time for doubting himself.

_Awesome advising. I’ll be in contact tomorrow. DMLM._

Noel first dropped her friend home, as it was first on the list of places to go. She hugged Noel goodbye and gave a short wave to Adam as she exited the car. 

He watched her walk up to her front door, and he found himself feeling glad that she had removed herself from the situation, knowingly or not. He couldn’t have any witnesses to this.

“So, you wanted to go to Toiyabe, right?” Noel asked him from the front once they were driving again.

“Yeah.”

“Why though? It’s just forest. Beautiful forest, mind you.”

“As I said, I’m meeting a friend there later. We thought it would be a nice place to visit while I'm here." He wished that were the case. Part of him wished he was here for a more… wholesome reason. "I also thought it would be nice for the two of us to chat there too.”

“Oh?” She didn’t expect him to mention her. “What about?”

“Well,” Adam started, trying to remember how he had convinced Tim so long ago, “I have been a follower of your blog for some time, and let’s just say I’m a big fan of your content.”

“Ha! Are you kidding? All I do on there is argue with Julio and talk about feminism. It’s really nothing special.”

“Oh, I disagree,” Adam smirked. He saw her smile in return. “I think that’s what makes your blog so interesting. You clearly seem to have very strong opinions, and you stick by them no matter who disagrees with you.”

Noel shrugged. “Yeah, well, I can’t exactly let someone like _him_ win, can I?”

“You’re right about that. So how about it? How would you like me to interview you?”

She thought it over for a while. “That sounds fun, but what’s this for?”

“A book I’m currently writing. It’s about the interconnectedness of people. Psychology was always fascinating to me.”

She nodded. “That makes sense. Pep used to be so into psychology, but she dropped it for some reason. That’s my best friend, by the way. I’ve talked about her before on Tumblr.”

“Yes, I’ve heard of her.” Adam tried not to show any sign that he meant more than he was letting on.

“She’s dating this douchebag, Adam Verdu, and it’s driving me up the wall seeing how upset he makes her."

Adam was surprised to hear his name be brought up so suddenly, but it seemed like she'd wanted to vent to someone about him for some time. He decided to let her have this.

"I wish I could just-” She slammed her fist on her steering wheel for emphasis, “-fucking knock him out.”

Adam tried his hardest not to take offense to that. “He sounds like an awful person.” Funnily enough, he agreed with Noel on that statement. Perhaps she hated him just as much as he did himself.

“Don’t even get me started!” Noel laughed. “I’ll be here all day.”

Adam laughed weakly. He definitely didn’t want her to stick around, talking about how much she hated him. He already believed everything she would say. “Don’t you worry, I won’t.”

They spent the rest of the drive in silence, Adam itching to get this ‘interview’ underway.

Noel finally pulled up outside Toiyabe National Forest and took her keys out of the ignition.

Adam watched her pocket them. Depending on how this went, he might need those for later.

She turned to Adam with her hand out. He looked at it in confusion when he remember he had promised her gas money.

Noel wiggled her hand as Adam reached into his pocket for his wallet. “Come on. Pay up.”

“Alright, alright.”

Adam gave Noel a ten dollar bill, hoping that was enough. He hadn’t brought a lot of cash with him for this trip.

“Thank you very much,” she smirked, pocketing the money.

Adam bit back a laugh as he imagined himself taking his own money right back from her pocket once he had killed her.

Thankfully, Noel was none the wiser to his future plan. “Right,” she clapped her hands, “let’s get this interview over with then. Oh, and I guess I'll meet your friend too!”

“Yeah!” He knew there was no friend to meet, but he couldn't tell her that now. It would be better to wait for her to figure it out herself.

Noel got out of the car first, then Adam followed. His heart had begun to race again. This was it.

“DMLM,” he muttered to himself with a grin, hoping that Noel was far enough away to not hear him.

Unfortunately, Noel _had_ heard him, not that it helped in the slightest. She still had no clue what he was blathering about.

She turned around to ask him what he’d said, but his smirk caught her off guard. It wasn’t the kind of smile she expected from him. For some unknown reason, Noel’s blood ran cold. She could sense that something was changing in him or perhaps he was starting to show his true colors.

As they walked through the forest, the two of them stopped a few times to admire the scenery. Adam almost felt guilty that he was going to do something so evil in a place so beautiful. He tried not to think about that. He couldn't turn back now.

They walked through the forest until they found a quiet spot where they could talk.

Once they were finally hidden away, Adam allowed himself to drop the act completely. He doubted it would matter anymore.

Noel noticed this. It was as if he had taken off a mask. Now she understood why she didn’t trust him anymore. She also realized that Adam had no interviewing equipment. He didn’t even have a notepad or pen handy, it seemed.

She cleared her throat, awkwardly, trying not to let him see her nervousness. “Are you really going to interview me here? You don’t even have a microphone.”

Adam chuckled. “You’ve caught on now, have you? It took you long enough.”

Noel stared at him. “How was I supposed to know? You were acting all nice in the car!”

“I’m so sorry.” Adam’s voice was dripping with sarcasm. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that was all an act, sweetie.”

Noel looked positively offended. “Don’t _sweetie_ me, asshole!”

He smirked at her outburst. It looked like he was finally getting under her skin, something he hadn’t been able to do with Tim. This should be fun.

“I’ll say whatever I like,” he replied coolly.

Noel felt like she was about to explode with anger. “You sound _just_ like Adam!” Then realization hit her. “Oh…”

Adam’s smile grew wider. She was quick. He didn’t even have to tell her himself. “Oh?”

“You’re…”

Adam gladly waited for her to finish her sentence.

“You’re Adam! Oh my God, how could I have fallen for this?!”

He shrugged. “I really don’t know, but I’m so thankful you did. You made this _so_ much easier.”

“No need to rub it in,” she glared. “So I assume there's no friend then.”

“Nope.”

She smirked. “What a surprise. You never had many of those, did you?”

“Shut up,” he mumbled. He didn't want to be reminded of how lonely he was.

His mind drifted back to his helper. They were his friend, weren't they? Or perhaps they wouldn't be for much longer after they realized what he had done.

“Earth to Adam?”

Noel was waving a hand in front of his face, and he swatted it away.

“What?”

“I feel like there's no point in me being here if you're just gonna daydream the whole time.”

“Oh, I assure you I have a perfectly good reason for you being here.”

“And what might that be?”

“You destroyed the one thing I cared about.”

“I don't remember doing anything of the sort, _Adam_.” She spat his name as if she couldn’t bear the taste in her mouth.

He scoffed. “Don’t play dumb with me. You ruined my relationship with Pepper.”

“She left on her own! It had nothing to do with me!” Noel was yelling now, not that he blamed her. Of course, she was being defensive. She knew it was her fault.

“She was happy with me before you and her dad came in and ruined it all.” Adam’s voice was low, but he couldn’t hide his growing anger.

Noel’s eyebrows furrowed. “No she wasn’t? She was miserable! That’s _why_ I told her to leave your ass!”

“Well, congratulations,” Adam sighed. “You got what you wanted.”

She knew better than to feel sorry for him, but it was difficult. She decided to concentrate instead on the anger bubbling in her chest. Her knife was still in her pocket. It was there in case things got out of control at Julio’s show, but it could come in handy here too.

“You don’t get to do that to me.”

Adam frowned. “Do what?”

“Try to make me feel sorry for you.”

“I don’t need your pity!” Adam snapped.

Noel put her hands up in surrender. “Look, man. I’m just saying you’re being manipulative. That’s all.”

“Says the person who made Pepper break up with me!” He could feel his emotions taking over. He had wanted to stay calm, but it seemed that Noel was just the same as Tim. They wanted to blame everything on him when it was their fault. It was all _their_ fault!

“Hey, hey. Calm down-”

But Noel didn’t get another word in. She found herself staring down the barrel of a gun, and her speech failed her.

To her own surprise, she still found enough courage in her to smirk. “What are you gonna do with that, huh?” She asked once she could speak again.

“What does it look like?” He spat.

Noel shrugged. “It looks like you’re gonna kill me. It’d be nice if you gave me an explanation though.”

Adam rolled his eyes. Why did she have to be so difficult? “Fine. Your wish is granted.”

Noel couldn’t help but giggle. “Just get on with it.”

“You and Tim June ruined my life. You took away the one thing I cared about, and now you’re both going to pay the price whether you like it or not!”

She couldn’t help thinking that Adam sounded just like a stereotypical villain. She suppressed a grin. “Oh, are we now? Well, good luck finding Tim all on your lonesome.”

He grinned back. “Don’t you worry. I’ve already dealt with him.”

Noel was lost for words after hearing that. She’d spoken to Pepper just two nights ago. She’d _asked_ about Tim specifically, and Pepper said he was doing okay. However, something could’ve happened during the day they hadn’t spoken. Could Adam be telling the truth?

“I don’t believe you.”

The way her voice shook made Adam think she was lying. He grinned. “Well, you’ll just have to take my word for it.”

Noel didn’t reply. She was trying her best to hold back her tears. Pepper and Tim had treated her like part of the family, and she appreciated that more than she could ever tell them. But now, she would never get to see Tim again to tell him that. Pepper would never get to see her father again.

In the end, she couldn’t hold back her emotions anymore. Tears began to trickle down her face, ruining her mascara. “You _monster!”_ Her voice cracked, but she didn’t care anymore. She was most likely going to die here anyway. Her best friend was going to be all alone.

He shrugged, like he’d already accepted that fact. “Yep. Pretty much.”

Noel couldn’t understand how casual he was about this whole situation. How could he be so cold-hearted?

She suddenly remembered the knife in her pocket. Not caring if Adam would really shoot her or not, she took out her knife and pointed it straight at him.

“Oh.” Adam didn’t expect her to have a weapon on her, but he should’ve seen it coming. “What are you going to do with that?”

“What do you think?!” Noel spat. “I’m gonna fucking kill you!”

Adam laughed. “I doubt it. Remember, I’m the one with the gun.”

She faltered, and Adam couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “Oh…”

Noel knew that if she died here, she would never get to see Pepper again. She had to calm herself down, and then try and get through to Adam. 

“Julio really got you worked up, huh?” He knew she was angry at him, but he wanted to change the subject to calm her down. He couldn’t have any wounds on him that might give away that he had been fighting with someone.

The sudden change in subject confused Noel, her sudden anger momentarily forgotten. She didn’t understand what Julio had to do with this. “And what about it?”

“How about you go threaten to kill him instead, and leave me be?”

Noel laughed. “Not a chance. Julio’s an absolute prick, but at least he isn’t trying to kill me.”

Adam nodded. “Fair enough. I don’t think he’d miss the opportunity if it presented itself, however.”

Noel gave a shrill laugh. She worried she was becoming hysterical. “What makes you think that?”

“The way he talks to you on Tumblr doesn’t make me think you two are pals.”

She scoffed. “Hardly!”

“Exactly. I’m sure if I don’t kill you, he will be next in line.”

She smiled, shaking her head. “That’s cute, Adam. I’d like to see him try.”

He smirked back. “Well, I’m sorry to say that you won’t get that opportunity.”

“Lucky me.”

A moment passed before she remembered something. It was shocking that she could even think at a time like this.

“I heard you mutter something under your breath as you got out of the car earlier. DMLM or some bullshit.”

“So?” He pretended not to be surprised she’d heard that. “What does that have to do with killing you?”

“Ha! You’re funny. It clearly has something to do with death.”

Adam was impressed. She was more than just an angry feminist, it seemed. “Go on.”

“It was the way you said it, with that stupid little smirk as well. You sounded creepy as shit.”

Adam couldn’t help but stare. How did she work that out? It seemed that Noel was a lot cleverer than he first imagined. Maybe this was going to be harder than he thought.

Noel smiled at him. She didn’t bother hiding her smugness. “What is it, Adam? You didn’t realize women could be smart too?”

The corners of his mouth twitched into a smile. “Damn… That was impressive, I’m not gonna lie to you.” He could just about admit that, but what he would _never_ admit is that he was starting to enjoy her company. It would be a shame to kill her.

Noel’s smile grew bigger, but she managed to swallow it down. She couldn’t let her know that she was flattered by him. _Fool me twice,_ she thought. 

She settled for more sarcasm. It suited her. “Flattery will get you nowhere, Verdu.”

Adam chuckled. “Are you sure about that? It seemed to work on you before.”

Noel rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

“Anyway,” Adam began. He couldn’t delay this much longer. He had to move this along, “this is what’s going to happen, okay? I’m going to kill you here and bury you somewhere. Haven’t got that far yet with my planning.” He figured there was no point being vague anymore. “Then I’m going to get a plane back to New York, drive to Pepper’s house and tell her all about what’s happened here.”

Noel stared, speechless. She almost couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Adam really was going to kill her all because of Pepper? She couldn’t help thinking about her best friend, who was oblivious to what was happening right here, and what will happen. She wished she could at least say goodbye, but Adam probably wouldn’t allow that. The thought of that made her want to punch him, but she held back.

“So you’re really gonna shoot me?” She surprised herself by acting so calm when her heart was hammering in her chest. “Sure, there’s no one around here, but someone’s gonna hear. There has to be _someone_ around. Then they’ll call the cops on you.”

Adam hesitated for a millisecond, which Noel definitely noticed. His emotions had already gotten away from him today. He couldn’t let them go any further. 

“You think I don’t know that?” He tried his best to keep his voice level. “Don’t worry, that won’t happen to me.”

Noel folded her arms, tilting her head to the side. “What makes you say that?”

“I’ve got away with murder before.” His smile made the hair on Noel’s arms stand on end.

She tried not to think too much about Tim. “R- right. Of course, you have.”

“Yep.” Adam almost looked proud of himself. “And I can get away with it again, if you’d just cooperate with me.”

“Cooperate?! Are you kidding me?”

He sighed at Noel’s outburst. “Please don’t make this harder than it has to be.” He was already having second thoughts. He really didn’t want to have to take this all back. “Just drop your knife, alright? Then I’ll drop my gun.”

She chuckled. “Not likely.”

“Alright then. Your choice.”

He was getting tired of all this talking now. It was fun at first, but he was getting bored. They were just wasting time now; delaying the inevitable. He had to do something, and fast.

Before Noel could react, Adam let his gun fall from his hand and pushed Noel backwards as hard as he could. She went flying, her knife landing on the ground a few feet away. 

Adam tried not to think about what could’ve happened if she hadn’t let go of it. He knew that Noel was a kind person, but he also had a feeling she wouldn’t hesitate to stab him if it meant she survived. It was funny to think they had that in common.

Adam quickly straddled her, so she couldn’t get away. However, Noel was too terrified to even move. It seemed like all her previous confidence had vanished once she realized how serious he was.  
A part of her wished he had shot her back there. At least, she wouldn’t feel pain. At that, Noel began to cry. She felt pathetic, and she knew Adam wouldn’t let that slide.

“Aw, don’t cry, Noel. You won’t feel a thing.” As if suddenly remembering, Adam put a hand into his pocket and pulled out the same pair of leather gloves he had worn back in Hillsdale. He couldn’t leave fingerprints on the murder weapon now, could he?

“What do you mean?” Her voice was small now. She hated to think that this was how she would die; small and helpless. 

“Well,” Adam laughed, although it sounded hollow now, “that’s a lie. I’ll strangle you with this lovely scarf around your neck.” 

He reached out to touch it, and Noel tried desperately to get away to no avail. She felt disgusted by his sudden change in tone, like he was mocking her. But she didn’t say anything. There was nothing left to say anymore.

“Don’t try to get away. There’s no point. There’s no other way this can end.”

A voice popped into his head. He knew it was his own, and he tried his best to ignore it.

_In every scenario, he jumps. That’s just how it goes._

“I never really had a choice, did I?” Her voice was barely above a whisper. The realization hit her that ever since she met Adam in the parking lot, there was only one way this was going to end.

Adam shook his head. He almost looked sad. “You’re a clever one. I’ll miss that. You know, it's a shame, I was actually enjoying getting to know you.”

Noel just stared at him. He could hear his voice, but his words weren’t registering. She was going to die here, and Pepper’s abusive ex-boyfriend was going to kill her. The only thought in her mind was that she hoped to God that Pepper was safe, and Adam wouldn’t try to talk to her about any of this. She didn’t deserve any of this.

Adam realized Noel wasn’t listening, so he decided to just get it over with. “Well, goodbye, Noel. Death makes life matter.”

Noel’s eyes widened in understanding. So _that’s_ what it meant! Despite knowing her death was coming, she felt happy to know that she finally understood the meaning of that stupid acronym. Not that it mattered now. She wouldn’t be able to tell anyone.

“Time to get this over with,” Adam muttered. He didn’t know if he was giving Noel a heads up or just talking to himself, but he didn’t care. He just wanted this over with.

Noel’s scarf was pulled tightly into a knot, and Adam was careful to avoid looking her in the eyes. He almost felt… guilty? He understood that Noel had to die. There was no question about that, but he couldn’t help thinking that the two of them could’ve got along in another timeline. If Tim and she hadn’t ruined his relationship, maybe-

No, that could never happen now. Adam forced himself to focus on the task at hand. Noel had to die. That was the only thing he should be thinking about right now. This was the only thing that would bring Pepper back to him. It had to be.

He pulled as tight as he could, and Noel began to gasp for air. It felt like her head was exploding and was going to burst at any moment. She couldn’t focus on anything else.

Adam didn’t let up though, of course. Noel clawed at her neck, trying to get the scarf off, but he pulled tighter still. He couldn’t give up now; he’d come too far.  
She tried to reach for Adam to possibly scratch him too, but he pinned her arms down with his knees. There was no way he was getting a mark on him. 

Noel let out a growl, and Adam smiled in response. It seemed she would never get her wish of ‘knocking him out’, as she had put it in the car ride here. What a shame.

Soon, she lost consciousness, but he knew not to stop there. If he did, she would wake up in a few seconds. He didn’t want to have to go through this whole charade again or resort to shooting her.

Finally, Noel stopped breathing. When Adam let go of her scarf, her head flopped to the side, uselessly.

Adam found that he was out of breath himself, and beads of sweat had formed on his forehead. He laughed as he realized the irony. It really was hard work murdering someone…

He made sure to check her pulse and breathing. When he was sure both were non-existent, he began thinking about the next stage: burial.

He had originally planned on burying her here, but seeing the beauty of this forest, he felt like he couldn’t disturb it any more than he already had. Perhaps he could take her somewhere else, far away from the murder scene.

Once he figured she wasn't moving, he took back his ten dollars from her pocket.

"Thank you very much," he chuckled. 

He decided to take her car keys too. If he was going to have to drive to find a good burial site, he couldn’t exactly hijack someone else’s car. That wouldn’t end well, especially if he got caught.

He figured there was no other way to do it other than carry Noel all the way back to her pickup truck and hope that no one saw him. He had his gun ready anyway just in case.

Looking around the scene, he remembered Noel had dropped her knife. It was laying a few feet away from them. He'd almost forgotten about it with everything else that had happened. It would be best to take that away lest someone else found it. He picked it up in gloved hands and put Noel's knife back in her jacket pocket.

After that was settled and there was nothing else to take care of that he could see, he picked up her body and made his way back.

He was heavier than he thought she would be, but it was no trouble. By some miracle, he didn't encounter anyone on the way to the truck. Considering it was afternoon on a weekday, he supposed that most people would be at work, luckily for him.

He laid Noel down in the trunk then made his way to the driver's seat. He, of course, knew how to drive, but driving a truck must be different from a regular car.

The car stalled a few times but soon, he was on his way.

He figured the best place to bury a body around here was the desert, considering how much there was of it in Nevada. 

After driving for a while, he pulled up into the side of the road and got out. The heat somehow intensified now he was in the desert. He groaned to himself as he realized that he would have to dig a grave in this heat.

For now, he focussed on finding a spot to dig. He opened the trunk and, after lifting out Noel’s body, he found something that would come in very useful. Noel had apparently bought herself a tactical shovel. A smart purchase, if you asked Adam. It looked fairly new, but he knew that it wouldn’t look so new by the time he’d finished with it.

Pulling his gloves tighter onto his hands, he took the shovel from the trunk and shut it closed. It was awkward holding both a body and shovel in his arms, but he managed.

He made sure the car was locked - he didn’t want his ride back to the airport to get stolen, after all - then began to make his way into the desert.

Adam wasn’t sure how far he had walked, but he stopped when he figured he was far enough away from the road and any prying eyes. He wondered what people would think of a car randomly parked at the side of a desert road like that, but he figured that wouldn’t matter. No one’s first thought would be that someone was burying a dead body. No normal person’s, at least.

He found that digging a hole in the sand was a lot more difficult than it had been for Tim’s grave. For one, the sun and heat didn’t help at all, and the sand had a tendency to fill part of the hole that Adam had just made.

Eventually though, he was satisfied with the makeshift grave. No one would find her here.

He felt relief as he lowered Noel in and pushed the sand back in around her with the shovel. 

Once he was done, he used his t shirt to wipe the sweat off his forehead and promised himself that he would at least freshen up in the airport before he left Las Vegas.

 _That’s it,_ Adam thought. _It’s done. My plan was a success._

He couldn’t help but smile to himself. All his work had finally paid off. Of course, he still had to tell Pepper, but what was the worst that could happen?

Heading back to Noel’s pickup, he figured he would dump it somewhere random then take a cab to the airport. Easy.

He parked the car at the side of a main road on his way to the airport. He barely put much thought into who would see him do this, but, frankly, he didn’t care anymore. His plan had worked, and that was that. Even if someone did identify this as Noel’s car, they wouldn’t find her body anywhere near it, and there was no evidence to suggest Adam had driven it.

He walked a distance away from the pickup truck, leaving the keys inside, and waited for a cab to come his way. He didn’t have to wait very long, and soon enough, he was on his way to the airport to go home.

He had to stop by the motel first to pick up his luggage, of course. The cab driver was kind enough to wait outside for him. Adam couldn't help but feel grateful that he hadn't needed to lug all this around during the day. It would've made things a lot harder, for sure.

The cab driver, thankfully, didn’t make much conversation on the second part od the journey. Adam appreciated that. He didn’t much want to talk anymore. 

Noel flashed into his mind again. She had talked way more than Tim had. It was interesting to compare the two and how they reacted to knowing they were going to die. 

The cab driver braked as he pulled into the waiting bay, interrupting Adam’s thoughts.

“We’ve arrived,” he said with a smile.

He read off the total amount from the LED sign on their dashboard, and Adam paid them the fare, including the money he had stolen back from Noel. He then thanked the driver for the journey.

“Just doin’ my job,” he grinned. “Have a safe flight.”

“Thank you, sir. Have a nice rest of your day.”

Adam got out of the cab and breathed a sigh of relief, taking in the familiarity of the airport he had been in just yesterday. He was finally on his way home. 

Hopefully, all the work he had put in will pay off. He would just have to see.


	3. Pepper June

Finally, Adam was back home. He felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. The people who were bringing him down in life had been taken care of. Now, all he needed to do was inform Pepper, and that would be that. They would spend the rest of their lives together. He couldn’t wait.

By the time he arrived back in New York, it was pretty late. Despite that, Adam had no intention of sleeping. He had slept for most of the flight back, so he wasn’t tired. 

Plus, he’d had an idea on the plane back. If he planned a date for him and Pepper, they could have time to themselves and maybe bring up the topic of Tim and Noel. Maybe that would be the best way to do it. It might even go well. 

He took his luggage back to his apartment, changed into a suit, then went straight back outside again and got into his car. He knew exactly where this date was going to be, and he wanted to get there as soon as possible. Thankfully, it wasn't far to drive there.

Usually, at this time of night, he would be on his boat. It was one of the few places that he could clear his head. He wished he could be there now, but he didn't want to waste any more time. Jet lag would be setting in soon, but he knew how to manage that. He couldn't let anything go wrong tonight.

As he pulled up in front of Pepper's house, he pulled out his phone. His friend deserved to know that everything had gone well. He couldn’t have done it without them, after all.

_ Hey, awesome job yesterday. The book is coming along beautifully, and I was able to spend some quality time researching. Thanks to you. _

September had gone by in the blink of an eye, but Adam had made sure to savor every moment. This was a once in a lifetime thing, after all. The dead couldn’t come back to life. 

_ I’ve been thinking of a question my friend asked me. _

He smirked to himself as he sent the message. This was the second time he’d talked about an imaginary friend in place of himself. He thought back to when he had gone over to Pepper’s house a few months back. She had threatened him with a knife, and he managed to cut himself as he tried to take the knife from her. Thankfully, he had found a hospital nearby with the help of his new friend, but no one could know what had really happened. It was the same thing here. He didn’t want them to know that  _ he’d  _ thought of this. They would judge him before he even had a chance to explain himself.

His helper refused to answer whether they would pull the lever or push the fat man. Adam didn’t understand. Either way, he would do both of those things. It was only logical to kill one person to save three. He didn’t understand how other people would think differently. Perhaps it would matter to someone else if they knew that one person… It wouldn’t matter to Adam. He knew Tim and Noel very well, and yet he still killed them. It didn’t matter who they were. It only mattered that Pepper wouldn’t be controlled by them anymore.

He decided to change the subject and give them a riddle. It was a lot tougher than the first two, but he had faith in them.

He had given them eighteen minutes to solve it which was more than enough time to talk to Pepper.

He decided he couldn't procrastinate any longer so he got out of his car and walked up the path towards her front door.

* * *

“Pepper, sweetie?” It was her grandma’s voice on the other end of the phone.

Pepper would usually have felt relaxed by that voice, but she doubted she would feel relaxed ever again. “Hi, grandma. What’s up?”

“I just wanted to check on you. Have you eaten today or been outside? Fresh air is good for you, you know.”

Pepper shook her head. The thought of even leaving her room seemed pointless. “If Dad and Noel aren’t there, I don’t wanna go anywhere.” Her voice cracked, and tears threatened to spill. 

Each time she called her grandma since they had gone missing, she ended up crying. She didn’t speak to anyone else anymore, but she knew it would be the same regardless of who she spoke to. She was tired of crying. Her headache from two days ago still hadn’t gone away.

“The police are looking for him. It’ll be okay.”

“What about Noel?” Pepper sniffed. “Where is she?”

Momma June shook her head. “We also don’t know. Her family filed a missing persons report. I’m sure there’s a search party out there too.”

Pepper nodded. She just hoped something good would come from all this. She wanted nothing more than both of them to be by her side again. Thinking about anything else made her nauseous. 

Momma June figured the silence on the other end meant there was nothing else Pepper wanted to say. “Alright. Well, I’ll leave you to whatever you were doing before. Please try and take care of yourself, okay? I wouldn’t want anything happening to you too.”

Pepper felt a pang of guilt. Of course, her grandma would be worried about Tim as well. It wasn’t just her who was suffering. She couldn’t let her down. “Okay, I will. You take care too.”

“Thank you, Pepper. I will try.”

“Speak to you later, Grandma. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

Pepper had lived on her own ever since she moved out from her parents’ house, and she enjoyed living by herself. But after her dad went missing, she was terrified that whoever took him would take her too. It was scary living alone now, but she was beyond grateful that her grandma was able to keep her company, even if it was only a phone call. She couldn’t have carried on without it especially not after Noel had gone missing too. It was too much.

The street Pepper lived on was usually quiet, so when she heard a car drive up and stop by her house, she couldn't help but look out her window. Her eyes widened as she recognized the car.

This was the second time within a month that he had visited her. She doubted she could handle it another time. Why was he here? Surely, he wouldn't want to come back after the incident last time. Knowing Adam though, something as insignificant as a hospital visit wouldn't deter him.

Pepper watched him for a while, bile rising in her throat. He was just sitting there. If he thought she would come outside, he could think again. She wasn’t going. Leaving the house terrified her, and Adam terrified her even more. There was no way. 

Besides, Tim and Noel would be furious. She couldn’t go behind their backs, not when she didn’t know if they were safe.

She never usually prayed to any sort of God, but now, she prayed to whoever was listening that they were safe, and they would come back to her.

Eventually, Adam got out of his car and made his way to her front door. She jumped away from her window, not wanting him to know she had been watching. She didn't think that would go down very well.

Pepper almost jumped out of her skin as she heard a knock on the door, even though she knew it was coming. 

She slowly made her way downstairs, ignoring the voice in her head that was screaming at her to stay away. She could pretend she wasn't home, but Adam wouldn't buy that. He knew she would be home. 

Grabbing the door handle with a shaky hand, Pepper opened the door to the last person on Earth she wanted to see.

Adam greeted her with a smile, as if he hadn't noticed. “Hey, Pepper. How are you?”

She laughed. What a stupid question. “How do you think? My dad and best friend are missing.”

Adam cleared his throat to hide a telling smile. “Oh, yes. I heard. I’m really sorry to hear that.”

Pepper quirked her eyebrow. She didn’t expect him to be sympathetic. “Really?”

He smiled. “Yes, really. Can I come in? I wanted to talk to you about something.”

She considered saying no, but after he was kind towards her, she couldn’t refuse. She nodded and stepped aside to let him past.

It was strange having him in her house again, especially after last time. Pepper tried hard not to think back on it.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” Pepper asked as Adam made himself at home on her sofa. She stayed standing. She wanted all this to be over and done with as soon as possible.

“Oh, right. How do I put this?”

Pepper bit her tongue to stop her from snapping at him to spit it out. 

“I know what happened to Tim and Noel.”

Her eyes widened. He  _ knew?  _ “What?! Have you told the police?”

“No.”

“Why not? They should be the first ones to know.”

“I did it.” Before he knew what he was saying, he confessed. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt like there was no point in keeping secrets anymore.

Pepper stood there, frozen. “...What?”

“Tim June and Noel Saviore are dead. I did it.”

She stared at him. “So you  _ killed  _ them?”

He laughed, and Pepper felt a shiver run down her spine. How could he be so casual about this?

“I guess so,” he shrugged.

She felt tears welling in her eyes, but she held them back. She couldn’t cry in front of him. “You either killed them or you didn’t!”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine. I killed them. I removed the only people between us, so that we could be happy. I did this for  _ you _ .”

She continued to stare. None of this made sense. This was all  _ her  _ fault. If she’d just stayed with him, Tim and Noel would be alive…

Tears overflowed, and she covered her mouth as she began to sob. Adam watched as she sunk to the floor, her shoulders shaking. It hurt him to see her like this. He thought she would be happy; the complete opposite of this. He frowned. Of course, this would go wrong for him. It was only a matter of time.

Pepper was muttering to herself like she had already forgotten Adam was there. “This was all my fault. They’re dead because of me.”

Adam sat on the floor in front of her. How could he stop her from crying? Listening to her was making him want to cry too.

He shuffled forwards to her, but she moved away just as quickly. Her eyes were wide, like she was scared of him.

“Pepper? It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.”

“Leave me alone.”

Even if Adam did try to hurt her, she wouldn’t care. It would be better than  _ this.  _ Maybe if he killed her next, she could join them.

“Pepper-”

He tried to reach out and touch her shoulder, but she swatted his hand away. 

“Go away.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

He supposed he should leave her be. She would come around eventually. She always did.

“Alright," he sighed. "Well, I have a surprise for you upstairs. Or I will do once I get it set up. Come up when you’re ready, and we can talk.”

He walked away and left her alone in the living room. 

While Pepper was still crying, Adam was rooting in drawers in her kitchen for what he thought would complete the experience. She could hear him opening and closing cupboards like he owned the place, but she didn’t bother stopping him. He never listened to her anyway.

From what he remembered of the layout, there were only bedrooms upstairs which meant there wasn’t much to work with. However, with some candles lit along with some fairy lights and a bottle of wine, it didn’t look half bad. Adam was pretty proud of himself. He knew Pepper would love it.

He knew she would take a while to follow him up though, given that he could still hear her crying, but he could be patient. After all the effort he had gone through, waiting another ten minutes or so was nothing in comparison.

Adam's phone buzzed, and he took it out of his pocket. It seemed that eighteen minutes had passed but, unfortunately, his friend hadn't solved the riddle. He was a little disappointed, but he remembered how well they had solved the other two. He could tell they had tried their best too, and that was all anyone could ever ask. 

_ The Flubbertons have been exterminated. _

Despite knowing they weren’t real, Adam felt a little sad about that. He had enjoyed making riddles about them, but now they were no more.

_ That was a tough riddle, but you did an awesome job nonetheless. On a more positive note, I have a date tonight. I don’t know if I should go though. _

This was a lie. He knew this was the only way he could get Pepper on his side. They hadn’t talked for over a month now besides from the conversation now that had  _ not  _ gone well. He had to do something special to win her back.

_ She seems too good, too pure. I’ll just be a terrible influence on her. _

This, he agreed with. Sometimes, he doubted if he was enough for her, which was why he had gone to all this effort. She was also too easily swayed by other people’s opinions. It was a blessing and a curse.

_ We’ve been in talks for a while online, but this will be the first time we’re meeting in person. What do you think? _

Another lie. He had met her before a few times, but best for his friend not to know that. Knowing how smart they were, they might start to connect the dots.

_ Go for it! What do you have to lose? _

He gave a hollow laugh. He could lose everything, but what choice did he have?

He waited for a couple minutes before texting his friend again. They seemed to be skeptical of how quick he had been getting his date.

_ Wow, the restaurant must be really close! _

_ You got there so quick! _

Adam frowned.  _ Restaurant? _

He quickly realized that, of course they would think he picked a restaurant out for a date. That was what a normal person would do. He chuckled to himself. They should know by now that he was anything but.

_ Oh yeah, it's very close. Pretty much next door. Ha. As I said, I'm kind of freaking out. _

This was his go-to excuse when he made a slip-up, but he actually was nervous this time. He really wanted this to go well, but it didn't seem promising.

He took deep breaths to try and calm his racing heart. He didn’t think he’d ever been this nervous before, not even before he killed Tim and Noel.  _ Pepper will be here soon,  _ he told himself. Or the voices in his head told him. He couldn’t tell anymore which was which.

Five minutes passed from the time he had told Pepper to come. She still wasn’t here.

He sighed. Of course, she wouldn’t show up. What was he thinking? She was still under their control, even though both of them were dead.

* * *

Finally, Pepper had calmed down enough to realize that Adam had left her. She felt relief at that, but knowing he wasn’t far away made her feel sick. There was only one thought in her mind: she had to get away from him, whatever it took. 

A part of her didn’t believe what he had told her, but another part knew he wasn’t lying. What would be the point of lying about something as big as this?

Pepper knew that she wouldn’t join him upstairs. Whatever he had planned, she wanted nothing to do with it. She didn’t want anything to do with him anymore, not after what he did.

She considered running away, but where would she go? Even if she had a place in mind, Adam would find her. He found everybody. That was becoming clearer by the minute.

Would she have to run from Adam for the rest of her life? Even if he got caught and arrested, he wouldn’t be far away. One thing was for certain: she would rather die than face him again. 

Her mind drifted to the kitchen where a  _ very  _ sharp knife sat in a drawer. Pepper shook the thought away. The mere thought of stabbing herself was terrifying, but did she have a choice? Would she rather stay alive and live in fear of Adam, or die and finally find some peace? Maybe she could reunite with Tim and Noel again.

She smiled to herself, fresh tears leaking from her eyes. That would be nice.

As if on autopilot, she walked into the kitchen and took the knife from the drawer. She turned the knife over in her hand, slowly, wondering how much it would hurt. Surely, if she got the angle right, it would be almost instantaneous. No pain at all. She hoped that Tim or Noel hadn’t felt pain when they died, but she couldn’t be sure. She didn’t think Adam would be that kind to them.

A sudden flash of anger consumed her. How dare he take away the two people she loved the most?! If he came downstairs now, she would have no trouble driving this knife through  _ his  _ heart instead.

Her hands began to shake, and she started to cry again. This whole situation was too overwhelming. She just wanted this all to  _ stop. _

Her eyes were drawn to the knife again. It would be so easy… She knew that she would be leaving her grandma on her own, but if Pepper was dead, there would be no reason for Adam to go after her. If she had witnessed anything when she was with Tim, she would be dead by now anyway. Unless Adam was keeping that part to himself, there was no reason to fear. She could finally be at peace. It had been too long since she’d felt that.

One last look at the knife, and she’d made up her mind. She turned it inwards to face her chest and rested the tip where her heart was. Thinking of the pain almost made her stop, but she didn’t. She couldn’t live in this world any longer. There was no place for her here anymore. Adam made sure of that. She was doing this because of  _ him. _

She inhaled sharply then drove the knife in.

She gritted her teeth and let out a scream. It would have been louder if Adam were not so close by. If he heard her now, he could put a stop to this. She wasn't taking any chances.

She dropped to her knees, clutching at the knife stuck in her chest. The pain was like nothing she had experienced before, but it was comforting to know she would never have to feel this again.

Something in her brain told her to pull the knife out. She was hesitant at first, but pulling the knife out would mean she bled out faster and therefore, she would die quicker. It sounded like a win for her.

She gritted her teeth again as the knife came out. It seemed to help if only for a second. The knife clattered to the floor in front of her. It was loud on the tiles, but Pepper didn't care anymore if Adam heard. There was nothing he could do to stop her now.

Her hands instinctively went to the wound. The blood was warm on her fingers, and it was pouring out fast, all over her favorite shirt. If she knew she was going to stab herself today, she would at least have worn something different.

A rush of lightheadedness made her fall onto the floor, and she lay there for a moment, her breathing shallow. She didn’t think she would ever get used to the pain, but that was okay. She wouldn’t be hurting for much longer.

Her last thoughts were of Tim and Noel. Their lives had been mercilessly cut short, and so had Pepper's. If there was any sort of afterlife after this, she hoped she would get to spend it with them.

* * *

Adam was ready to throw the full wine bottle on the floor and light the whole room on fire. He settled for punching a pillow. 

It had been an hour, and Pepper never showed up! What was wrong with him?! Why did he ever think this would be a good idea? She was probably caught up in worrying about Tim and Noel. Of course, she was… Why did she have to let her emotions get in the way? She didn’t even seem to care about how he felt.

He couldn’t take sitting at this table any longer. He sent a bunch of rambling texts to his friend, not caring anymore how he sounded. It had passed that point.

_ I just need some time to myself. _

He pocketed his phone and made his way downstairs, after angrily blowing out the candles. He didn’t  _ really  _ want to set anything on fire, especially if Pepper was still in the building. 

And it turned out that she was.

As he walked into the kitchen, he froze. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. A part of him wondered if it was a hallucination, but he knew it wasn’t. It felt too real.

As if on autopilot, he slowly walked towards the body and knelt down beside it.

She was definitely dead, but Adam still had to make sure. He brought a shaky hand to her neck and felt for a pulse. Nothing.

It wasn’t much of a surprise, seeing that her heart had been punctured, but he couldn’t believe it otherwise. Once that was established, the situation finally started to dawn on him. Adam’s breathing quickened as he began to cry, his tears mixing with the blood on the floor. 

He never thought it would come to this. Today was supposed to be the day when everything came together, and he and Pepper would finally be together like they were supposed to be. Not  _ this.  _ The plan hadn’t accounted for Pepper to take her own life.

Pepper’s blood had spilled all over the floor, and Adam quickly realized he was kneeling in it. That revelation in itself made him nauseous. It wasn’t supposed to end this way… He did this to her. He made her do this.

_ Move the body. You can’t leave it here. _

Adam nodded. The voice was right. He couldn’t leave Pepper here. Considering that his fingerprints were on a lot of things upstairs, this all could be traced back to him. He couldn’t get caught.

There was only one thing for it. 

He started with moving Pepper's body to the living room. She was still warm… If he covered her somehow, he could pretend she was asleep.

He laid her on the sofa and covered her in a blanket that was on the floor next to it. She looked peaceful, but he had to turn away. It was too painful to look at her now.

He decided to busy himself with cleaning the knife she had used and cleaning the blood on the kitchen floor. Thankfully, there were enough paper towels and bleach in the cupboards to help with that.

As Adam washed the knife of blood, he realized that it was way sharper than the one she had threatened him with. He couldn't imagine how much this one would have hurt to use. It must have taken a lot of courage to do that. He tried not to think about how determined she must have been to die.

Finally, the kitchen was clean again. It was like nothing had happened, but Adam knew he couldn't leave Pepper here. It would be too easy for everything to be traced back to him.

So he took Pepper in his arms again and brought her out to the car. He left the blanket covering her in case someone were to pass by. No one did.

He lay her down in the back seat and got in the front. He knew exactly where to take her.

After a short drive, he arrived in Hillsdale once again. He had to drive around for a while until he found the same forest, but he got there in the end. Adam didn't dare use Google Maps, and he didn't have his friend to help today, but he managed on his own. It was hard to forget a place like that.

He took Pepper from the car, along with his trusty shovel, and carried her all the way to the same clearing where Adam had buried Tim just a week ago. He couldn't believe it had only been a week. It felt so long ago.

There was another rock formation next to Tim's. Adam hadn't noticed it before, being so preoccupied with Tim before. But he knew he could use it to his advantage.

He began to move the rocks out of the way then started digging.

Up until now, he had been able to keep his composure. Adam had cried a little in the car, but he had to keep his focus for that. It would be very unlucky were he to get into a car crash, especially now. But now that he had nothing to distract him, he began to cry.

Pepper was gone… It was like a dream. It couldn't be real. He wouldn't have believed it if her body hadn't been right in front of him, and he was making preparations to bury it.

It was strange. When he buried Tim, he had felt calm, like a weight had been lifted. With Pepper, it was nothing like that. He was wracked with guilt and disappointment. This whole charade had been for nothing. An absolute waste of his and his helper’s time. Pepper didn’t want to be with him, even when he removed the two people keeping them apart. She even went as far as to take her own life, so she didn’t have to be with him. He  _ made  _ her this way. It was  _ his  _ fault she was dead.

Adam knew he couldn’t stop here though. If someone found him here, it would be game over. He laughed dryly.  _ As if it could get any worse than this _ , he thought.

The rocks were finally back in place, and he could look back on his work. This time, however, there was nothing to be proud of. Adam felt like the world had just fallen apart. The only person he cared about was gone, even after everything he’d done to bring them back together. 

Of course, there was his new friend, but they wouldn’t miss him. Once he told them what they had helped him accomplish, they wouldn’t want to be his friend any longer. There would then be nothing left to live for. No one would miss him, and all the people who would were gone. He was the only one left.

He stepped back to look at the two rock formations one last time. Adam felt jealousy looking at them. Yes, Tim and Pepper were no longer alive, but at least they could be buried together. It was a bittersweet ending. Adam knew he would get nothing like that. 

He could feel himself getting emotional again, but he forced the tears back. There was no point in crying anymore. Pepper made her decision, and there was nothing he could do.

“Death makes life matter.”

It was funny how each time he said the phrase, it became less and less meaningful. He was getting used to the fact that death followed him wherever he went. He was beginning to wonder if life even mattered at all.

Before leaving the forest for what he hoped was the last time, he took out his phone to take a picture of the two graves. He figured that it would be best to be armed with proof when confessing to his friend. He wouldn't believe him either if he was told about all this. Besides, there was no point in keeping secrets anymore. They deserved to know the truth.

Adam walked away from the graves and into his car. He had a new destination in mind, and it would be his last.


	4. Durev Dama

Adam drove around the city for a while until he found what he was looking for. A high building where it looked like no one would intrude.

He parked his car in the small parking lot, not caring who found it now, and walked up to the building. Seeing that it was abandoned, it wouldn’t be as easy as strolling in. He sighed as he realized he would probably have to pick some locks to get in. He’d never been good at that.

A laugh bubbled in his throat as he remembered having the same thought at BAM back in Brooklyn. It seemed like a lifetime ago. So much had changed since then.

Eventually, he was in. There had been chains to contend with too but, thankfully, they were held together with padlocks. He would’ve been furious if he’d been bested by some stupid metal.

He walked down the long halls and reflected on the past month. He and his friend had done some… terrible things, but he didn’t regret meeting them. He felt like the two of them had a connection. At first, he was only using them to fulfill his plan but, as time went on, he realized he actually enjoyed talking to them. He’d felt a lot less lonely this month, and he was grateful for that.

But he knew that all this would come to an end soon. He had no choice in the matter. He’d known that for a while.

While he had been driving, his plan had been to just get it over with before he changed his mind. No suicide note; nothing to even suggest he’d been alive at all. He thought it was better that way especially since no one alive would miss him, but as he was climbing the stairs, he figured he at least owed his friend an explanation. They had probably pieced it together by now, but it would be good to talk about it. Good to get it off his chest before he left.

So he found a room off to the side where he could sit and propped his phone on a pile of random things that he found in the room. It wasn’t the best setup, but what choice did he have?

He made sure it was recording, and then sat back down. He sighed, trying to expel his nerves along with his breath. A part of him just wanted to get up and walk away. He could just drive home and pretend this never happened. But what would he be left with? The love of his life was dead, thanks to him, and he would have no friends again. Regardless of whether his helper knew the truth or not, he knew it was inevitable that they would leave him. Everyone always did. It frustrated him. As hard as he tried, he could never make anyone stay with him. Was he really that unlikable?

Realizing that he was supposed to be speaking now, he collected his thoughts. 

“Hey there, stranger. It’s nice to finally meet you face to face, even if it means I’m here and… you’re there.”

He smiled, imagining his friend was in front of him. He didn’t know what they looked like, but that didn’t matter. A part of him wished they could’ve had this conversation under different circumstances. Maybe over a bite to eat, but it was too late for that now. He pushed that out of his mind and continued.

“But I think we always found a way, didn’t we?”

He looked down at his hands, trying not to cry. He hadn’t even been talking for ten seconds, and he was already emotional. This wasn’t the place to start crying. There was plenty of time for that after. 

“You’ve helped me out so much, and I’m gonna miss our late night talks.”

He smiled again, but there was a sadness to it. The thought of no longer being able to talk to his friend was something he had tried to ignore, but he had to face it. Having a friend like them was the only thing that had stopped him from killing himself sooner, but he supposed the spell had worn off now.

_ What are you waiting for? Just do it! _

He visibly swallowed, trying not to let the voice get to him. It was becoming harder to do that these days.

“I feel like we’ve become such close friends.” Once again, a wave of emotion hit him, but he held strong.

“I know what I’ve done. What we’ve done together, and I know…”

His voice caught in his throat. Memories of Pepper filled his mind. Times when she was alive and… happy. When she was happy with him, before all of this happened. If only she was still here, maybe she could’ve stopped him from doing this to himself too. They could’ve saved each other.

“And I know what I made her do.” His voice cracked. He almost couldn’t finish his sentence. Knowing that it was all his fault was almost too much to handle. He looked away from the camera again, forcing himself to keep it together.  _ You can cry later,  _ he told himself.

He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, like he didn’t want to say what he was thinking. But he knew he had to. It was the truth.

“I hate myself.”

The silence after that was longer than before. He almost couldn’t wait for this to be over, so he could end it; end everything. Then maybe, he could find peace. Maybe he could see Pepper again.

He gave an awkward laugh. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d ever been this vulnerable. It was kind of uncomfortable, but he knew he had to do it. He owed it to them. 

“I know I’m not the good guy _.  _ I- We’ve done terrible things but, for what it’s worth _ ,  _ I’m grateful you’ve been there.”

Despite his friend not being there with him, he was happy he got to tell them that, even if he would never get to see their reaction.

“And now this is the end. No more late night running around the internet. No more taking planes in the dead of night. No more lies.”

He thought of himself at the top of this building, dangerously close to the edge. It terrified him, but he had no choice. There was nothing left to live for anymore. This was the end.

He laughed again. He supposed it was due to nerves. It was funny how he’d never realized that about himself before.

“I’m sorry,” he smiled. “I’m sorry this is the end. I just can’t… I just can’t live knowing what I did to her.” 

Memories of her dead body filled his mind. He didn’t think he’d ever missed someone so much before in his life. But there was no use missing her now. He would be gone too soon enough. 

“I can’t go on.” His voice cracked again. He was so close to breaking down.  _ Not long now. It will be all over soon.  _

“DMLM.”

It felt strange to be saying it regarding himself, but it also felt fitting. His life suddenly felt a lot more meaningful now that he knew he was going to die. He wondered if any of the others had felt the same way.

He smiled one last time at the camera for his friend, then he got up and tapped the stop button on his phone.

Once he wasn’t being recorded, he could no longer hold back his tears. He cried until all the sadness left him. Once he dried his face, all that was left was emptiness. He felt nothing. He supposed that was good, considering what was awaiting him. 

Adam silently reached for his phone and uploaded the last video onto his cleverly named YouTube channel. Of course, he’d set a little challenge for his friend. He hoped they appreciated it, and it would give them the closure they needed.

He wished he could get this over with as quickly as possible, but he had to keep his friend in the loop. It was obvious they wouldn’t miss him, but he at least wanted to say goodbye.

_ Hey. _

They replied almost instantly. He grinned. He would miss their responsiveness.

_ How did you handle the whole date situation? _

Not for the first time today, flashes of Pepper on the kitchen floor and of her grave assaulted his mind. It seemed they would never stop until he made them.  _ Not long now,  _ he reminded himself. There was comfort in knowing that.

_ It’s irrelevant at this point. What are you up to? _

It was absolutely relevant, but Adam couldn’t bear to talk about it any more than he already had. Hopefully, the videos he had made for his friend would do the talking for him.

He wished he could say he cared about what his friend was telling him, but he didn’t. Nothing mattered anymore. Regardless, he continued to type. He still had to keep up the act for just a little longer.

_ I’m actually on my boat right now. _

He laughed. If only they knew where he really was. He wondered what would happen if they did. Would they come save him? He waved the thought away as quickly as it had appeared. No one could save him anymore.

_ I’ve been thinking more about our morality talk, and I’ve been thinking about people and animals. Do you think they’re similar? _

_ People  _ are  _ animals, technically speaking. _

He smiled. Of course he wouldn’t be able to get an easy answer out of them. They were too smart for that.

_ You’re a clever one. I’ll miss that. _

A tear rolled down his cheek before he could stop it. He hoped they knew how much he meant that.

Even now, a part of him was procrastinating as if he had changed his mind, and he didn’t want to die after all. But he knew he couldn’t back out now, no matter how much he wanted to. It was too late. His path had already been set out for him. He just needed to follow it.

After their short conversation, he knew he couldn’t delay the inevitable.

_ Anyway, I’ve got an interesting person I’ve been investigating. Looks like we can squeeze in one final chapter. Makes videos on a site called YouTube. His name is Durev Dama. _

He chuckled to himself. When he’d first thought of the name, it sounded stupid. It still did, but he knew that he couldn’t use his real name. Besides, it wouldn’t be as fun if he just gave them all the answers. He was glad he could have one final game with them before the end.

_ Look him up and check out his first video. _

As they made their way through the puzzle that was Adam’s YouTube channel, his mind kept drifting to upstairs. What it would feel like to be so high up, the breeze caressing his face…

Part of him was scared at how calm he was being about this. He remembered that only a week ago, he was terrified of death. He even showed himself up in the airport by having a mini panic attack. It seemed that this month had changed him a lot.

Continuing to talk to his friend, he helped them find the answers that he was too much of a coward to say outright.

They finally found their way to Pepper’s blog, then Adam decided he couldn’t sit around and wait any longer. He had to finish this.

_ I have to go for a few minutes. I hope we meet again someday. _

He doubted that, but a part of him stupidly hoped there was a possibility. He really would miss them.

_ You’ll know you’re done when you get to Facebook. I know this doesn’t make sense but, trust me, it will. Send me the last word of the about page. I’m sorry. _

Adam put his phone in his pocket with a sigh. He rubbed his eyes that he knew were filling with tears again. He wanted this all to  _ stop _ . All these… unnecessary feelings. Thankfully, it was almost over. 

He almost didn’t want to get up off the floor, but the voices in his head made him. What he wouldn’t do just to make them  _ shut up _ . 

Finally, he made it to the top of the building.  There had been a window in the room before, so the brightness wasn’t so blinding, but it still took him time to adjust. He hadn’t even realized how nice this view was until he came up here. He didn’t take time to look before. All that had been on his mind was guilt and suicide. A very dangerous combination.

The sky was a beautiful blue with wispy clouds, and he could see fields past the few trees that grew around the parking lot. He felt himself getting emotional again. He was at least glad he got a nice view out of all this.

There was a breeze, but he wasn’t cold. It felt freeing in a strange way. He was finally able to take control of his life, by ending it. Yes, voices beyond his control had told him to but in the end, he had the choice of jumping or not. At least, that’s what he told himself.

He didn’t think he could take the realization that he had no control at all, not even over himself. Couldn’t he just kid himself for a bit longer?

His phone buzzed in his pocket. It looked like they had made it. He was proud of them and hoped they wouldn’t hate him after this.

He sent them the link to his newest video, then deactivated his account. It was almost like a death of its own. He’d met many people on Kindred Spirits, but that had all come to an end. There was no going back now. He didn’t deserve a second chance.

He put his phone beside him on the wall and blew the breath out through his cheeks. This was it. There was nothing else left to do.

Now that it was time, Adam almost couldn’t bring himself to do it, even with the voices screaming in his ears. He was suddenly terrified again, but he reminded himself he didn’t have a choice. Why did he think he would ever have control over his actions? It had never been the case.

He tightened his grip on the rail until his knuckles turned white. Why couldn’t he do this?! He swore loudly, but the voices were still as loud as ever.

Eventually, not able to stand it anymore, he gave in. He hoisted his legs over the railings and planted his feet on the edge. They only just fit on, which panicked him. What if he fell before he was ready?

He shook his head of the thought. He shouldn’t be worrying about that. Whenever he fell, he knew he would be more than ready.

“I’m sorry, Pep.”

It felt weird to be talking to thin air, even after he’d just talked to a camera, but he felt like he should say it. She wouldn’t be able to hear him, but it felt right. He genuinely was sorry. If he could take all this back just to have her again, he would.

“Death makes life matter.”

He knew this would be the last time he would say this, and a part of him felt relieved. There would be no more death after him, at least none at his hand. He felt a little better knowing that, and it was all the more reason for him to leave this world. Maybe his friend could find peace too and move on from all this. He would like that.

He rocked back and forth on his toes, readying himself for what he was about to do. He closed his eyes and inhaled sharply, then pitched forward. 

There was a rush of wind through his ears, and then nothing. The life of Adam Verdu had been extinguished, never to return.

* * *

After months of searching, Pepper’s and Tim’s bodies were finally found in a forest clearing in Hillsdale. Tim’s mother and family were informed by the police about the news. Momma June didn’t stop crying for months.

Noel’s body was traced to Mojave Desert in Nevada after her friends and family requested a search party. Her roommates moved out of their dorm fairly quickly, not able to handle being surrounded by Noel’s memories and ones she would never get to make. Her room back at her parents’ house, left the same ever since she moved out, was never touched by them again.

Adam’s body was found by a passerby. No one was there to claim him, so he was cremated and his remains scattered.

Kindred Spirits was deleted from the App Store on March 16th the following year as police finally connected the dots between the four deaths.

Adam’s helper reluctantly followed all this on the news. It almost didn’t feel real. Even though it had been a few months since everything had panned out, it felt like a dream. Like Adam was going to show up one day, laughing at how they’d fallen for everything. But he never did.


End file.
